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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNIFE-SCOURERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 56,564, dated July 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HUBBIL B. HUTCHINS and WASHINGTON HORTER, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knife and Fork Cleaners; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specication, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal central section, and Fig. 2 a transverse section on the dotted lines x y of Fig. l, like letters of reference indicating the same parts when in both figures.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of a hand-lever and a perforated grit-box with a stand provided with grit-catching troughs, the said stand supporting the lever and gritbox, with suitable elastic rubbers between them, substantially as hereinafter described, whereby the operator is enabled to vary the size of the opening for the knife or fork, and also the pressure upon them in cleaning, with the greatest facility, and at the same time to catch the escaping grit, and thus prevent its falling and dirtying the usual supporting table or floor.

In the drawings, A is the hand-lever; B, the grit-box5 O, the stand; D D, the grit-catching troughs, and E E the elastic rubbers.

The apparatus is intended to be supported by legs ff, screwed fast to any suitable table or shelf g.

rIhe stand G is intended to be of cast-iron, and has a rubber, E', of thick leather or felt, fixed upon its upper side, which is provided with a series of shallow transverse grooves, e? e2, as shown in Fig. l.

The lever A, with the body of the grit-box B, is also of iron, castin one piece, and hinged, at a', to the stand C.

The bottom of the box B, which is a part of the lever A, is perforated with numerous holes b b', for the passage of the grit from the box or through the lever A, and the top of the box is provided with a sliding cover, b2, or with a hinged lid, if preferred.

The under side of the broad hat part of the lever A has fixed to it the rubber E, of thick leather or felt, which corresponds in size with the rubber E on the stand C, and is perforated also with numerous holes exactly corresponding in. position with those above in the lever A.

The two side edges of both of the rubbers E and E are beveled olf, as showuat e3 c3 in Fig. 2.

On each of the two longer sides of the stand O the grit-catching troughs D D are cast, so as to extend along the sides of the former the full length of the rubbers E E, and afford an open receptacle for the grit which falls in using the apparatus. (See Fig. 2, and also the dotted line o in Fig. l.)

Operation: The box B having been supplied with grit, the operator lifts the lever A by one hand, and thus discharges grit suffi` ciently upon the rubber E below, the grit falling through the holes b', and then clamps the blade of the knife or tines of the fork, held by the other hand, between the lever-rubber E and the staud-rubber E, pressing upon the handle of the lever with sufficient force to ,effeet the cleaning or bri ghteningrequired, while the said knife or fork is moved longitudinally in a rapid manner, backward and forward, between the two rubbers E and E', the superfluous grit or waste falling into the troughs D D from both side edges ofthe rubbers.

In cleaning or scouring a fork the tines are intended to be laid in the transverse grooves e2 e2, thus subjecting their side edges also to the scouring action of the grit.

The beveled edges e3 c3 afford the proper surfaces for cleaning or scouring the curved shoulders of the knife or fork.

This is a very reliable device for the purposes intended, is simply and easily operated, and is not liable to get out of order by use.

One important advantage it possesses over those cleaners which depend upon springs to give the necessary pressure upon the rubbers is,.that it enables the operator to increase or diminish the pressure with greater facility, and even to vary it at will, during the operation of `cleaning or scouring a knife or fork, in accordance with the requirements of its partie -ular condition as to'stains, rust7 or brightness;

As an improved article of manufacture, the and another advantage it possesses consists in knife and fork cleaner or scourer described the fact that the grit is prevented from falling and set forth.

and maling dirt upon its snpportin g table or floor.

Having thus described our improvements in knife and fork cleaners, what We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is confined to the following7 viz:

H. B. HUTCHINS. WASHINGTON HORTER.

Witnesses BENJ. Morusolv, J As. HINsMoRE, Jr. 

